Bay County salutes wounded warriors

Thursday

Sep 13, 2012 at 12:01 AMSep 13, 2012 at 9:38 PM

PANAMA CITY BEACH — A few hundred bystanders waved star-spangled banners on the Hathaway Bridge Thursday as a motorcade of some 54 warriors and caregivers on or in vehicles of the two-, three-, four-wheeled and airborne type rumbled past.

ZACK McDONALD

“When people say, ‘it’s the least I could do,’ never is it more apropos than this,” said Brian Friedman, Vietnam veteran. “We were unappreciated. Each of these men and women made a sacrifice and we should thank them for it.”

Johnny O’Forschner had two flags flying on either side of his truck and sign stating “Ur Heroes.”

“These are the people helping this country remain great and why we are a great nation,” he said. “We love these guys. They’re our heroes.”

Soldiers’ Angels and Patriot Guard riders assisted by handing out what they hoped would be around 500 3-by-5 American flags along the Hathaway.

“There are a lot of veterans in our organization that just want to be part of helping soldiers,” said John Reichard, of the Soldiers’ Angels.

Twice a year since 2009, the Wounded Warrior Beach Retreat has planned the trek from Grand Panama Resort, over the Hathaway, to the Marina Civic Center.

For whichever specific reasons, each member of the crowd of smiling, cheering, flag-waving individuals lined the route for one common purpose — to honor sacrifices made by wounded war veterans.

“It’s to bring hope and healing for warriors and their caregivers as they come from across the nation,” said Linda Cope, president of Wounded Warrior Beach Retreat. “We focus on the caregiver as well, not just the warrior, and that is what makes it so unique.”

Cope’s son Joshua Cope was severely wounded by an IED blast in Bagdad, Iraq. He lost both of his legs above the knee and both of his hands were injured.

“We have witnessed first hand the tenacity of the American Soldier. We’ve also witnessed first hand the love and compassion of an American soldier’s wife — Erica,” Cope said. “And seeing the challenges the caregiver goes through, we wanted to focus on the caregiver as well.”

This year’s parade was also geared toward Northwest Florida first responders.

A cavalcade of police and sheriff’s officers were greeted by the multitudes of flags and appreciative faces.

“We just want to thank all the first responders who worked under Sheriff Frank McKeithen to host this at the Civic Center,” Cope said. “We appreciate them for keeping us safe over here.”

The vision of the Wounded Warrior Beach Retreat is to bring wounded warriors and their spouse or caregiver to PCB for an extended weekend of rest and relaxation. The retreat starts with the parade and continues through to Tuesday.

The community has donated condos/ hotel rooms, restaurant meals, gift baskets, fishing trips, movies, tours, attraction tickets, car rentals, money and much more to show honor and appreciation for the sacrifices of the soldiers.

After the parade, Lt. Gen. William Boykin spoke at the Marina Civic Center of the courage and sacrifice of warriors near and abroad.

“I saw flags today as big as football fields and people lined up for what must’ve been 10 miles,” Boykin said. “Americans are looking for heroes in sports or movies. If you want to find heroes, they’re sitting right here.”

Lee Westphal was one of the warriors honored during the ceremony.

“In Iraq, I got hit with an IED, and for about two weeks it seemed like I got hit with an IED everyday,” Westphal said.

Westphal suffered from PTSD and a traumatic brain injury.

“In the Army I was trained to soldier on, so that’s what I did,” Westphal said.

Westphal continued by saying if it wasn’t for the retreat and the support of the community, he and his wife “would not have had the opportunity to come and relax and heal together,” he said. “We wouldn’t have had the opportunity to grow our bond and our strength together. We love this community.”

Many local businesses contributed to the Beach Retreat including Panama City Toyota’s donation of brand new cars for warriors to drive while in Panama City, and Grand Panama’s donation of rooms, according to Cope.

“There is nowhere in the country where you have a whole community that embraces wounded warriors,” Cope said. “This community brings so much hope and healing to these men and women it is beyond words.”

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